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For nearly 20 years, HSC was on the forefront of identifying and analyzing emerging health care trends at the community level. On Dec. 31, 2013, HSC merged with Mathematica Policy Research and ceased operations as an independent organization.

HSC: A Legacy of Policy-Relevant Research to Inform Decisions

Founded in 1995, the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) worked to fulfill a vision set out by leaders at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. That vision was based on the premise that rigorous information and analysis built up from the community level could inform national health policy making. For almost 20 years as a subsidiary of Mathematica Policy Research, HSC pursued that mission, conducting policy research and analysis focused on the U.S. health care system to help policy makers in government and private industry make better decisions. More information...

Patientsâ€™ Sense of Urgencyâ€”Not ConvenienceContributes to Much ED Use

Dec. 30, 2013

Contrary to the idea that convenience prompts many privately insured people to seek care in emergency departments (EDs), the people most likely to use EDs believe they urgently need medical attention, according to a new study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) for the nonpartisan, nonprofit National Institute for Health Care Reform (NIHCR).

Along with steering patients to lower-price hospitals, a California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) reference pricing initiative influenced market dynamics by motivating other hospitals to reduce prices for hip and knee replacements, according to a qualitative study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) for the nonpartisan, nonprofit National Institute for Health Care Reform (NIHCR).

Despite Rapid Growth, Retail Clinic Use Remains Modest

Nov. 7, 2013

The proportion of American families using a retail clinic in the previous year nearly tripled between 2007 and 2010 from 1 percent of U.S. families in 2007 to 3 percent in 2010, according to a national study released today by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).

With pragmatism prevailing in New Mexicoâ€™s political tug of war over national health reform, Albuquerque health insurers are eager to compete for new Medicaid enrollees and people eligible for subsidized private health coverage, according to a new Community Report released today by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC).

Alabamaâ€™s pass on the Medicaid expansion under national health reform leaves the Birmingham regionâ€™s low-income, uninsured adults with a patchwork safety net widely regarded as limited and inadequately funded, according to a new Community Report released today by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC).

Contrary to the popular belief that hospitals shift costs to private payers when Medicare squeezes payments, hospitals instead cut operating costs to adjust to reduced revenues, according to a study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) published online in the journal Health Services Research.

Whether Virginia will expand Medicaid, along with development of a federally run insurance exchange, has created uncertainty for Richmond health insurers and providers, according to a new Community Report released today by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC).

Arranged Marriages: The Evolution of ACO Partnerships in California

Sept. 30, 2013

Market factors unique to Californiaâ€”large physician organizations experienced in managing financial risk for patient care, along with competitive pressure on both insurers and providers from the growing dominance of Kaiser Permanente Health Planâ€”have helped drive interest in developing commercial accountable care organization partnerships, according to a new study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) on behalf of the California HealthCare Foundation.

Most uninsured nonelderly adultsâ€”even the so-called young invinciblesâ€”believe they need health insurance, but fewer believe coverage is now affordable, according to a new national study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC).

Long Island Follows Bumpy New York Road to National Health Reform

Sept. 12, 2013

Despite an extensive Medicaid program and previous adoption of many insurance market reforms, partisan gridlock has contributed to a rocky road to national health reform for New York and the Long Island metropolitan area, according to a new Community Report released today by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC).

Across 13 selected U.S. metropolitan areas, hospital prices for privately insured patientsâ€”especially for outpatient careâ€”are much higher than Medicare and vary widely within and across communities, according to a new study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) for the nonpartisan, nonprofit National Institute for Health Care Reform (NIHCR).

Minneapolis-St. Paul Region Overcomes Early State Resistance to National Health Reform

Aug. 21, 2013

After initial state government resistance to national health reform, the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area is well on the way to preparing for national health reform, according to a new Community Report released today by Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC).

Shaped by Oregonâ€™s collaborative culture and activist history on health care issues, the Portland metropolitan area appears well prepared for national health reform, according to a new Community Report released today by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC).